THIS WEEK we’ll mainly be discussing the big elephant in (or outside, hopefully) the room “Covid-19”.

We will be talking about how it’s affected the music industry and how artists are navigating around it. Amidst all of this, we also got a chance to have a chat with fast rising star Monique Lawz who recently released her very anticipated single Worth it Featuring the Godfather of grime Wiley.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has now reached almost every country in the world since what began as an epidemic, mainly restricted to china, has now been classified by the WHO as a global pandemic.

Dubbed ‘The Rona’, this virus has skyrocketed and forcefully encouraged society to shift from taking a business as usual approach to nationwide lockdowns within a matter of months. With the obvious impacts that this will have on the global economy, there is an obvious focus on what will happen to our entertainment industries.

The Rolling Loud music festival has been postponed in Miami as was the Coachella music festival in California.

Glastonbury, which was attended by approximately 175,000 people in 2019 has been cancelled with no mention of rescheduling, upsetting many of its fans.

Other individual artists are taking similar approaches in cancelling their tours such as UK grime artist Stormzy, who postponed the Asia leg of his tour which was due to take place a week ago. He took to social media to inform fans that he “was seriously looking forward to bringing the #HITH world tour to Asia and playing some epic sold-out shows but due to the ongoing health and travel concerns surrounding the coronavirus, I’m regrettably having to reschedule this leg of the tour.”

With social distancing in full practice, the attendance of such events is completely out of the question and we are therefore left to listen to our favourite artists from our phones, reminiscing on the days of a hot summer concert on the beach or in a park with friends.

As devastating as these cancellations are for the consumer, the artists themselves are now faced with the task of maintaining their relevance during this pandemic.  So, in order to preserve the interest of their supporters, numerous artists have taken to Instagram live to connect with their fanbase. This includes live performances but more interestingly, live battles and clashes. Not just artists, but also producers have taken to the Instagram stage to go one to one in friendly battles with their counterparts.

From UK artists and producers such as Skepta vs Jae5, to US musicians such as Timbaland vs Swizz Beats, the music industry is offsetting the blowback of coronavirus through audience interaction via social media. Instagram has been nothing short of amazing in the growth and success of many artists during this pandemic.

Music aside, other forms of entertainment have taken a hit from ‘The Rona’. With the long-running BBC One EastEnders postponing production until further notice, and the ninth edition of the Fast and Furious franchise being delayed from May 22 to now opening on April 2, 2021, many people forced to sit at home are beginning to grasp the cultural impact of the coronavirus.

To tackle the blow that the film and television industry have encountered, a multitude of streaming services are using this pandemic to their advantage, advertising their products to a population so suddenly in demand for home entertainment services. Several brands across the globe are now offering discounted subscription options, and some even free shows, such as Amazon Prime and Disney + to meet this demand.

Mr Play chops it up with Monique Lawz.

The songstress has been active in the scenes developing her craft, brand and some writing for some of your favourite artists. Now she’s ready to take her spot in the music scene. The video for Worth It was well directed and created, she did not shy away from her heritage as you can see the video was shot in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The video is very colourful which also indicates MLawz personality as fun person to be around, but also how stunning her heritage is which we can clearly see that she’s a product of her that.

Mr Play : Hey Monique, how have you been?

ML: I’ve been great thank you! I’m a homebody so I’m not mad at staying home.

Mr Play: Before we go further, tell us who Monique Lawz is? 

ML: I’m a Singer – Songwriter from the UK

Mr Play: You have a new single out Worth It.. Tell us about how this song came about…

ML: I recorded it originally in LA with a producer called Z3N (Tory Lanez, XXX Tentacion, Meek Mill.. ) and a song writer called Sydney (Chris Brown, Jeremih, Flo Rida..) Just after signing with Warner Records UK. When I got back to London, my label and I thought it’d be a strong song to start with because it shows my culture with the Island vibes & the RnB mix!

Mr Play: You are one of few artists that has managed to get Wiley to attend a video shoot lol, how did you do it??

ML: HA! really?? I didn’t do anything! lol! He pulled up and it was a whole load of real good vibes!

Mr Play: As we both know, the past month or two has been very very difficult for a lot of creatives, how have you managed to work around it?

ML: I’m not a person to focus on the negatives naturally. I keep busy with work. I have a home set up so believe there’s a lot of work coming my way lol. I also work out to start the day and get some good endorphins going.

Mr Play: if you could work with five artists, who would they be and why?

ML: So many.. but narrowed down Nicki Minaj, Tory Lanez, Rihanna, Wiz Kid & Chris Brown. Why? Because we’d make firrrre!

Mr Play: What should we expect from you next?

ML: More music! I have a fire song with Zoey Dollaz & Boj! Theres a sneak peak of it at the beginning of the ‘Worth It video’ so make sure you check it out if you haven’t already!

Mr Play: Do you have a five years goal, if so what is it?

ML: To be recognised as one of the top international female artists. To be selling out shows & using my talent to make a positive difference in the world.

Mr Play: What advice do you have for up and coming artists

ML: Go with your gut! Trust your vision. Keep working relentlesly!

Mr Play: Thank you very much for sitting down and chopping it up with us, please tell us your socials and where we can find you.

ML: Thank you so much for having me! all socials are @ MoniqueLawz except Snapchat (MoniLawz) blessings!

Contribution from Maria Odu